


The Sea Brings Us Together (English translation)

by ShiroTofu94



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Unrequited Love, no beta we die like men, not my first language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:01:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29167704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiroTofu94/pseuds/ShiroTofu94
Summary: In his blooming seventeen, Armin knew the feeling of falling in love for the first time. And so with the love-lornness.
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Levi
Comments: 22
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

When Armin was seventeen, he got to know one person.

***

Armin has known the word "sea" for a long time when he just a tiny little boy. And he loves it. He loves its color, its infinite, and its sound.

He loves the way its breath goes through his hair, bringing along the saltiness. And it felt like just walking along the coast, watching the waves, was enough to make him enjoyable.

The Arlert family possesses a little house, and it's adjacent to the sea. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Arlert weren't usually at home, and because Armin was their precious child, so he was the one that got the biggest room. His room was painted blue and come between with some white seashell design.

There's nothing much in his room. Mostly books because besides the sea, Armin loves to know everything and anything, just like his parents and his grandfather. But if you ask him, then he must say that the thing he likes the most was his lamp, printing with sea animals design; whenever you turn it on, it will spin around and reflect the light with those images, as if those sea animals were swimming.

Their house wasn't near the town so if he wanted to get there, it would take fifteen minutes on foot. And the lamp in his room was when he was ten, he walked through an antique shop and saw it. And he liked it immediately when he first saw it. He wanted to have that lamp so badly that he hurriedly ran back to his house and asked his grandfather for it. Much to his dismay, his grandfather didn't approve. Mister Arlert was not a strict one but he was not the type who spoilt his grandson either. All he's ever wanted was Armin will become a responsible one and respects everything around him.

"That lamp isn't something too expensive but if I easily give it to you then you won't respect it." That was all Mr. Arlert told him.

"But I really want to have that, Grandpa." Armin was upset. However, he heard his grandfather said.

"If you want to have it that much, then go make money for it."

At first, Armin thought that he must have misheard. He was only ten. How is it even possible? Did his grandfather pull his leg? Then, he found out that his grandfather was never joking. He meant it when he said that. At that time, Armin just wanted that lamp so badly; he would do anything to have it. And as a result, Armin has his first job when he was ten: a paperboy.

To help him with his job, his grandfather fit a wood box with four wheels behind his little bicycle. And then, every day in the morning, Armin would cycle downtown, received newspaper, put them into the little box, and delivered them. It was hard on his first day. He didn't get used to it yet. But at the end of the day, when he got his money, he felt everything was worth-while.

Subsequently, day by day, Armin kept firmly cycling downtown to deliver the newspaper. And of course, not forget to pass by that little antique shop to check on the favorite lamp to see if it was still there or was taken. He kept coming to that shop so frequently that the owner of it had to promise him that he wouldn't sell that lamp. Still, Armin didn't stop doing that.

Finally, after a month of hard-working, Armin got enough money to buy the lamp that he'd always wanted. It was so like a miracle. Not only he got something he wanted, but also he got it all by himself. And with that, he more treasured his lamp.

*

After that, whenever summer came, Armin would find a part-time job until he had to back to school. Despite having part-time jobs at a young age, Armin was still a timid one. Hence, he didn't have any close friends.

His relationship with the others was quite good yet no kid around his age had the same interest as him. He had no one to share the stories about the ocean, about the world.

But it was okay, as long as he got the sea and his books with him. Whenever he got back from school, he came to the sea immediately, not caring about his clothes, he just jumped right into it and swam until he couldn't. And later, he would sit on the cliff and watched the sunset, with the wind drying his clothes.

Until one day. It was a summer day with sunny and windy when he was seventeen, the day that he suddenly felt lonely and couldn't stand that. So, he did the craziest thing ever: writing a letter, putting it in a glass bottle, and then, he threw it into the sea.

"Hello to whoever gets this letter.  
I'm Armin Arlert. Please be friends with me."

Armin didn't understand why he was doing that. It was so ridiculous. There would be no one pick a random bottle coming from the sea. And if there was, and they even answered him, there was no way it could come to him.

He mentally hoped that his funny action didn't get caught by anyone.

However, the thing that happened the next day was something that he unexpected. On the next day morning, he saw a glass bottle at the shore, right in front of his house. And, there was a letter in it!

"Hello Armin, I'm Levi.  
It's nice to be your friend."

Sea is so miracle. It brought Armin a friend, even that was just a penpal.

Armin couldn't figure it out. How the wave could bring the letter direct to him. All the things he had to do was write a letter, threw it into the sea. And the next day, he got the reply.

With that, Armin didn't care anything else. He chose to keep in touch with that person name 'Levi'.

Levi was a wonderful friend. They were willing to read all Armin's lame letters, those letters that he wrote about everything and anything. Not only that, Levi even gave him some advice that he found helpful.

Gradually, he wanted to know more about Levi. But Levi didn't reveal much about themself except their name, and that was all Armin got.

Still, it didn't matter, as long as Levi kept writing to him, then it was more than enough.

Three months of summer ended before Armin realized. And so did with their connection. Levi didn't respond to any of Armin's letters.

At first, Armin thought that maybe they didn't reach Levi. So he kept sending letters after letters. And the result was all the same. Armin then realized, maybe it was not about the letters but Levi. It seemed like Levi didn't want to.

So, Armin stopped.

For a long time after that, he felt so lonely. He asked himself over and over for a thousand times, about the reasons why Levi stopped writing to him. Did Levi know that Armin still kept waiting for their response?

In his blooming seventeen, Armin knew the feeling of falling in love for the first time. And so with the love-lornness.

*

Armin locked the name 'Levi' in the deepest part of his heart. He will never forget yet never long for. 'Levi' will forever be his bittersweet memory.

*

After graduating high school, Armin came to university. That meant he had to leave his family with the sea that he always loves to go to another place.

At university, he got to know new friends, the ones that became important to his life. But no one could make him feel like 'Levi' did.

Armin had a part-time job at a cafe near the campus. Customers usually were students or people working at the office.

One day, there was someone who looked kind of 'unique' stepped into the cafe. That was a man with short black hair, wearing a black suit. He didn't look like a student or a salaryman. And his eyes, they looked cold and scary.

"Hello. What can I get you?" Armin tried his best to look nice with his smiling but on the inside, he was so scared of that man.

"One hot Earl Grey tea with no sugar. Thank you." His voice was as cold as his eyes.

"Certainly, sir. And your name is..."

"Levi."


	2. Chapter 2

Levi Ackerman, twenty-seven years old, and was a mercenary.

Although he was only at his age of twenty-seven, he was an experienced mercenary. And if he was number two, then no one dared to call themself number one.

However, no one expected that Levi Ackerman had an accident when he was on his mission. And that was a silly accident that could make people think it was a joke.

That was, he slipped...

Levi Ackerman, shot by a gun, it's okay.

Levi Ackerman, stabbed by a knife, no big deal.

Levi Ackerman, accidentally slipped on his feet, then got injured, was brought to the hospital and after that, he asked for a three-month vacation for the 'healing progress'.

Erwin Smith, his closest friend and also his boss, couldn't do anything but approve. Not only that, but he also lent Levi his bungalow upon the hill, overlooking the sea.

With that, Levi shamelessly had his subordinate brought him to that bungalow to enjoy his vacation.

***

No one knew about Levi's background. All they knew was he was somehow a hooligan, wandering around on the black market and did all the dirty job for living. Until one day, he met Erwin, his savior, giving him a new life. Later, he was trained, and with his talent, he quickly became the number one mercenary.

Levi was not a hot-headed one, and he didn't do anything without thinking. But he was not an easy one, either. For Levi, actions speak louder than words.

At his twenty-seven, and also an experienced mercenary, Levi was no longer a dreamer. He knew clearly about this world, this ugly and dirty world.

Well, not everything is ugly, at least not with the sight before his eyes now. It was quite a sight to behold, actually.

With his injured leg, Levi couldn't go anywhere, and all he could do was staying at home, reading books, watching TV, and all. However, recently, he had a new hobby. That was, sitting on his chair under his canopy, watching around by using his binoculars until there was a silhouette came into his very eyes.

He saw a young boy around sixteen or seventeen with his golden locks, shimmering in the sunshine. This blonde looked so small in his white shirt and his khaki trousers, and he was running along the coast. His face looked oh so naive with his blue eyes and pinky cheeks, enjoying the wind came through his locks. And then, he jumped into the water with a carefree smile, playing with the waves.

Levi didn't get what made the blonde so happy. Nevertheless, he couldn't bring himself to take his eyes off of the blonde. And when the young boy seemed tired, he came out of the water with his clothes stick to his skin. With that, Levi couldn't help but whistle.

"I didn't know that the sea can be this beautiful."

So, every day, at an exact time, Levi went out, sitting at that same chair and using his binoculars to watch that boy.

Humans just couldn't resist the urge to admire the beauty. Levi was no exception.

***

One day, Levi saw that boy didn't jump into the water and play like usual. He just sat on the cliff and looked at the sea. But then, he suddenly ran into his house and came back right after a moment. Levi zoomed in and saw that there was a glass bottle in the boy's hand, and inside the bottle was a piece of paper. Next, that boy did a childish action that never in Levi's wildest dream could he think: the blonde threw that bottle into the sea.

"Oh such a naive boy." Levi couldn't hold back his laugh. Then, he picked up his radio and said "Eld, come here. And, call the others too."

*

In Mercenary Forced, there was a small team called 'Levi Squad', as known as 'the Elite team' as well. And in this Levi's vacation time, their responsibility was taking care of Levi.

When Levi told Eld to come and bring along the other members, they all assumed that maybe they would be given an important mission. But they never expected that the mission they were given was...

"You, go along the beach and find me a glass bottle. The one with a letter in it."

What a weird mission! At first, they thought that Levi was pulling their legs. But, have Levi ever joked? The answer is no. And they couldn't do anything but obey.

That's it. The famous Levi Squad, the famous elite team, was now doing the silly thing like going along the beach and finding a stupid bottle with a letter in it.

Or maybe, that was a new method to exchange the information in their Mercenary Forced?

Although it was hard, they finally found that bottle in the end.

They thought that was all, but the next thing they knew, they had to do the delivery job for the three months after.

Everyone in Levi Squad mentally agreed that they would never tell anyone about that. If anyone besides them knew about that, they felt that they could die in embarrassment.

*

For three months of exchanging letters, the more Levi knew about that child, the more he felt attracted to him.

In all of his life, he's never met someone so innocent, so pure like that. That child was like crystal, didn't get dirty of this world. He was the complete opposite of Levi.

Therefore, Levi knew, he was not worthy of that child. Armin deserved to have someone better than him. Someone would never get him in the trouble. Someone could protect and treasure him.

Hence, after his vacation ended, he stopped exchanging letters with that young boy, Armin Arlert.

That was a hard decision. However, he believed, it was the best for both of them, especially for that child.

***

One year after, Levi had never stopped thinking about Armin. The picture of him craved into his mind. Armin Arlert would never know how much Levi Ackerman had missed him.

There were countless times Levi thought about getting to see him, to say hello to him in person, to introduce himself. Then, they could get to know each other, they could become friends, or even more. Levi would protect and treasure him. For Levi, Armin deserved to have all the love of this world.

Levi still knew everything about Armin. He just couldn't put himself together to meet him. He needed the time.

*

During one year, Levi took the missions like he was crazy, even with the hardest ones. No one could tell why. Until one day, Levi suddenly told Erwin that he felt tired. He wanted to retire.

His decision caught everyone off guard. Still, Erwin seemed to understand, and he approved. Erwin even helped Levi with a new job and made him a new profile.

For Levi, having a boss and a friend like Erwin was the luckiest thing in his life.

*

When Levi decided to meet Armin in person, he didn't expect that he could feel nervous, the feeling that he didn't even have when being on the dangerous mission. He mentally laughed at himself yet couldn't do anything about that.

Putting on his suit, taking a deep breath, Levi stepped into the cafe.

When the bell tingling, the blonde's eyes turned to him immediately. His eyes still had that hue of blue and oh so innocent as he remembered. He was smiling but Levi knew better than that. He knew that the blonde was afraid of him.

"Hello, what can I get you?" His voice was just like everything that he imagined. And he decided, his voice would forever be the sound that Levi wanted to hear for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finish it! Yay me!
> 
> What do you think about this ending hehe.


End file.
